In regards to increasing strength, I've finally come to realize that you don't get stronger unless you put some really stinking heavy weight on that bar and squat it. I only just recently started to truly understand this, and as a result, my squat is now higher than it's ever been.

So that's just a reminder from the "Duh, I already knew that" department - no matter what the programming, remember that "heavy" can easily mean a lot more weight than you want to be using.

Or maybe I'm the only one with that problem. If that's the case, you can throw a weight plate at me.

I've been following the percentage prescriptions in the CA WOD, only taking the percentage of the weight I'd LIKE my next PR to be rather than using my current PR (so, if my max back squat was 75, I'd use 80 or 83). I get worried about getting too far out there, though, I figure the percentage things are there for a reason. But that's because I developed the tendency to treat programming like it is a magical formula for which deviation will result in disaster (I am slowly getting over this, though).

As for the shoulder pain, I was having rotator cuff issues last week, and while it got better this workout it flared up a bit. It was weird, my entire shoulder was in pain when I put weight on it (like pressing or jerking), rather than just the usual spot in the front. As soon as the weight came off, the pain left and they feel pretty fine now.

You may actually want to think about doing a little less after this strength cycle is up. Greg generally warns people about injury potential if you do the Bulgarian cycle as posted if you're not used to it (now I sound like I'm contradicting myself ).

I had shoulder pain kind of like what you're describing when I was doing the lifts with shoulders rolled forward. It went away after I stopped doing that. Have you asked Steven Low about this? He knows a lot about shoulder injuries/rehab.

If I were you I'd do some linear progression... 2-3x lifting heavy a week with either back/front squats with possible DL. Also, before this I would spend about 30 minutes or so working technique for Oly lifts.

Without the strength and pretty significant conditioning doing Oly is fairly useless.. especially on Bulgarian cycle programming. Let the linear progression bring up your lift numbers and then transition into PM WOD.

As for shoulder pain... where does it hurt -- pic is preferable -- and during what movements (lifts as well as articulations)?

Steven, it's hard to indicate where my shoulders hurt by a picture. If you place your hand on the top of your shoulder and cup it, the entire area covered by the hand hurt. Like I said, the pain went away when I wasn't doing jerks or presses or anything that required me to apply an active vertical force. It was suggested this may be due to my relatively weak upper back (I can't even do a kipping pull-up right now, to give you an idea of how weak it is). That would fit with Derek's reply as I may be keeping my shoulders rounded because my back is too weak to keep them pushed back when I'm supporting weight.

I figure I'll finish the CA strength cycle--there's only one more week. I actually found out last night my coaches on my Olympic team are writing everyone programs next week, and one of them said he'll write mine with a strength focus. So that's cool!

I would definitely focus on external rotation work and horizontal pulling as supplementary exercises. Massage/tennis ball it a lot to break up anything. It's probably instability more than anything... if external rotators/posterior shoulder get tired fast + poor posture = instability and pain. Strengthen it up.. try to avoid pressing for a bit.

Shouldn't be an either or -- can concentrate on linear progression and work on skill at the same time.

I know that lots of folks are throwing stuff at you, but looking at Greg's book, the beginning template there is as good a start for Oly lifting as anything. Go SS if you just want to get as strong as possible for the slow lifts, but go with Greg's template if you want to get strong for Oly lifting.

For the back squats, concentrate on keeping the back vertical and the chest up (that is, high bar oly squats with a similar movement pattern to front squats), and for the deads, concentrate more on oly form and positioning than massive weight. For both, keep increasing the weight workout to workout, slowly but progressively.

You can throw technique work in before every workout (especially tall snatches and cleans and snatch balances, using the snatch and clean deadlifts as technique work for the first pull) and, for the oly sessions, concentrate on form and technique before weight.

I know that lots of folks are throwing stuff at you, but looking at Greg's book, the beginning template there is as good a start for Oly lifting as anything. Go SS if you just want to get as strong as possible for the slow lifts, but go with Greg's template if you want to get strong for Oly lifting

Oops -- just read that your coach is writing you a program -- go with that.